I Never Knew
by Aegyo SS501
Summary: It is better to lose your pride for someone you love, rather than to lose that someone with your useless pride. Could you ever do that for me? SetoxOC BakuraxOC
1. Perfect Reputation

A/N: Hello! :) Another story for you all. This is another story written by me and another friend. (Blehlove) her account is mentioned in my profile. 3 we've been writting fanfics together for YEARS, and this is our latest one. I really hope you all enjoy it. Please review. please? We would really like any comments. it helps us to move the story along :) **This Story contains Yami Bakura; however, for the sake of the story he has the full name 'Ryo Bakura'. HE IS NOT RYO, he is just using the name. **

Disclaimer: We do not own YGO or any characters. We just own the two OCs and the plot. Kaiba is a beast. :3

Chapter One

In the cold, sterile hallway, he stood, surrounded by big men dressed in suits of black. The bright fluorescent lighting reflected off the glossy, white tile walls. It struck a spot in his mind, irritating him to no end. Just being there made him want to demolish the entire building. Ironically though, he was the same as this proverbial naked avenue. Nothing to embellish what was inside. Just cold, uninviting walls. Fixing the collar of his own white suit, Seto Kaiba nodded to one of his bodyguards. The tall, muscular man silently opened the door and flashing lights flooded the CEO of the greatest gaming company in the world. Step by step, Kaiba immersed himself into his inevitable hell. "I hate the fucking paparazzi."

"Mr. Kaiba! Mr. Kaiba, thank you for attending this press conference. It truly is a pleasure!" a short, stout man wailed at the top of his lungs, trying to be heard over all others. He held up his microphone as Seto walked past him without a single glance.

"I'm sure it is. You animals couldn't go a week without me giving you something to cry about." Kaiba scoffed, flattening out his tie and stepping up to the podium. He was rushed by a wave of voices and flickering cameras. With a sigh, Kaiba slightly raised his hand and the elements ceased.

"Hello… again." He said, emotionless. "Let's make this quick. I have better things to do. I suppose you're all here to pry about my younger brother, Mokuba Kaiba." Kaiba began shuffling through some papers. The wave came crashing back down on him immediately. He pointed to a tall, skinny man, with a notepad and pen. "You… what?"

The man began to shake, but then again, who wouldn't with that Kaiba charm? He stood, nervous, but tried his best to be heard. "My question isn't about Mokuba. It's about you." He said, pausing slightly. "…How are you coping?" He immediately regretted his question.

"What is there to cope about? He's not dead; he has simply made some decisions that haven't been beneficial. As far as I am concerned, Mokuba will be set on the right track, I can assure you. I refuse to let this situation run Kaiba Corp. to the ground." The irritation in his voice was very much apparent. The short, fat man raised his mic to Kaiba again.

"What about Kaiba Corps sterling reputation? You're perfect records have been tarnished by Mokuba's misbehaving. Your reputation is at stake. How will you contain the factor of chaos?"

Seto chuckled, and then began to laugh louder. "Chaos? I have never lived with chaos as part of any equation. I think you have forgotten who I am. Seto Kaiba has plans for everything. Kaiba corps reputation is certainly not tarnished; you can look forward to an even more powerful Kaiba Corp in the near future." He said, smirking. If only he wholeheartedly believed that. His eyes scanned the crowd, and stopped on a person fighting to get to the front.

A young woman with long, dark brown hair raised her hand. She held her notepad close to her. The frame of her body was elegant in comparison to the husky, unappealing bodies surrounding her.

"Kaiba, you have all these assurances for Kaiba Corp. and you say that your company will remain supreme, but don't you think, even a little, that living in this blue print may have driven Mokuba to rebel? Doesn't it seem like he needed to get out? What are your thoughts?"

Kaiba stood, unable to understand what gave this woman such courage. No one dared ask him such a question. As if he could possibly be the reason Mokuba had gone astray. He stared deep into her eyes. How dare she? "Kaiba Corp has always been a warm and secure place for Mokuba to grow and develop into a successful young man. We have supported him in everything he does, within reason. He has always had freedom, alongside structure. Mokuba's decisions were made by his own accord." He said, jaw clenched. Seto desperately held back his rage.

"I asked about your thoughts, not Kaiba Corps…" she said, staring at the heartless man in front of her. With softened affection in her eyes, she looked down to her notepad, and turned to walk away. Kaiba had had enough of this patronizing.

"I think we're done here." He said, sharply turning and exiting the platform.

"But sir! You just got here! You can't leave yet!" someone yelled.

"I can do whatever I want. I'm Seto Kaiba." Seto exited the press room, and entered the cold hallways once again. He began to walk past his guards, and go off on his own. The anger and frustration in him had built up with such acceleration that all things around him had vanished. Who was that woman? Who the hell did she think she was? Scolding _him_ that way; Scolding _Seto Kaiba!_

Seto had been walking for quite some distance, and discovered he was in his parking shelter. Of course, it was private and only he had access to it.

"Hello Sir." a woman in Kaiba Corp uniform said, softly. "Shall I call your limousine?"

"No. I'm taking my own car." He replied, emotionless and cold as usual.

"Very well, sir. Have a safe trip." She smiled. All Kaiba Corp. employees had learned to smile past his freezing, robotic exterior.

Seto grabbed the keys to his car off of a rack placed on the desk. He opened the car door and quickly slipped into the driver's seat. Sliding the key into the ignition, the engine roared to life. The sleek, silver sports car flashed its head lights. In the dark car, the dashboard had shown blue. Seto sped out of the parking garage and onto the highway of Domino City. Driving usually seemed to calm him down and clear his head; however, he couldn't shake the image of that young woman. That disappointed look on her face. That look that showed how terrible she thought he was. The wench didn't know anything about him, or his relationship with Mokuba. He was the best brother he could be.

Mokuba had always been a level-headed kid. He knew the difference between right and wrong, but recently, Seto hadn't understood what made his sweet brother behave so strangely. Mokuba was coming home later and later. His education was suffering, even with aid from the worlds most prestigious tutors. He cared so little about the rules Seto tried to enforce. Had he tried too hard to enforce rules? Was he too harsh on his brother gone astray? Mokuba was alive and well, but what if Seto had put down the phone for just five minutes… Would it have mad a difference? Seto grinded his teeth and clenched his hands around the steering wheel. The knuckles of his lanky fingers had faded to white. With the window down slightly, the wind tousled his auburn locks. There she was, in his head again. She was obviously no one special, just some random reporter who he would normally ignore time and time again. But in his emotional state, with his darling brother now a delinquent, everything pressed on Seto's lungs.

* * *

He was seething, livid, furious; oh he was all of these things and then some. He despised this place; what was he, Ryo Bakura, doing at a counseling center? It was everything; the generic grey carpeting and chairs covered in cheap cloth with geometric shapes, and even the damn fluorescent lighting. It all vexed him to no end. He tried not to breathe in too deeply; the sterile smell in the air was almost as bad as a doctor's office.

So why was he here? Why was a rich and powerful man such as himself _waiting _to see a holier than thou counselor? Well because it was unavoidable, a word that Bakura was unfamiliar with, _impossible _did not exist when you had the money and the connections and the god damn guts to do everything that he had done. But he somehow could not weasel himself out of this situation, he was actually quite lucky though, he should have been punished much more harshly, but being who he was got him out almost scot free, _almost_.

A years worth of probation and counseling for being the head of a very large black market chain. Oh yes, he was a thief in the extreme, he was a thief who had thieves working for him. He didn't even have to do the dirty work himself, although he did like to indulge in a little of the action every once in awhile. Art, jewels, artifacts of every origin were his specialty, nothing cheap of course.

To the outside world he was a first class citizen; wealthy, charismatic, handsome, and generous. No one would have ever guessed how dark Bakura's world really was. He had no problem _taking care _of anyone who got in his way. No one knew about that though, no one knew the lengths that he would go to take care of a problem, and that was a very good thing. He may get a little more than probation for murder…but that wasn't important, not now. All that mattered right now was getting through this first session with his counselor and then getting through a whole damn year of it.

"Bakura, Ryo?" The shrill voice of a receptionist startles Bakura out of his reverie. She beckons him over to her desk and gives him some paperwork to take to his counselor. "You can go back now." She points him in the direction of the hallway and he proceeds with not even an ounce of enthusiasm.

The door reads _Ilana Quinn _and he knows he's in the right place. 'Probably some old foreign woman.' He thinks as he opens the door, not even bothering to knock.

"Oh you must be Ryo, please take a seat." He's taken off guard by the figure behind the desk in front of him. She's not at all what he was expecting, not even slightly old, she looks to be about his age. Her dark red hair and bright blue eyes stand out significantly against her porcelain colored skin. Her hair is short and asymmetrical, way edgier than he would've expected from a counselor, well he was expecting an old spinster, and she was anything but. 'Maybe this won't be so bad after all.' Maybe he could just block out what she was saying and imagine her in a more compromising position.

He does as she says and takes a seat across from her. "So Ryo, why are you here today?" Her voice is soothing, the kind of voice that was supposed to get you to spill your guts. "Bakura, just call me Bakura." She smiles warmly and nods her head in acceptance. The chair he was sitting in was uncomfortable and he wanted nothing more than to dart out of the room as quick as he could. The thief in him took in every detail of the room, every escape route, it was habit, he couldn't help it. He was impressed by the art that was gracing the walls, all originals, she had good taste.

"Alright then Bakura, why are you here today?" She made it a point to enunciate his name. She knew damn well why he was there, and it aggravated him even more that she would still bother to ask.

"It's not by choice if that's what you're asking, but I must be a good boy and comply with the judges wishes." The sarcasm and cynicism in his voice was apparent. When he was in public he was the poster child of courtesy and generosity, but that was necessity, he needed everyone to believe he was a good person, but frankly he didn't give a shit what this woman thought. Her warm smile turned into more of a smirk. What could this woman possibly be thinking?

"Look I don't really want to deal with you anymore than you want to deal with me, but like you said, you have to do it, and so do I, having the 'amazing Ryo Bakura' as a patient will give me one more credential to add to my resume." He almost laughed at the woman. She was just using him, it was quite humorous. She was intriguing to say the least. But the sassy tone in her voice irked him a little.

"Well then now that that's established lets get some general information down, I have a job to do if I like it or not." He was a little insulted; usually women threw themselves at him or were at least interested in being friendly with the well known and loved Ryo Bakura.

"I'm here because I am the leader of a very large black market operation, and somehow that information was leaked, but luckily I had the money and the power to pay off most of the law enforcement and only received a very light punishment. No one knows of this except, the judge, my lawyer, and now you, so if you value your life Ms. Quinn I suggest you keep this information to yourself." He sounded surprisingly casual as he threatened the woman in front of him.

Her smirk did not falter and only seemed to grow as she clicked her tongue against her teeth. "I don't take kindly to threats, and I am certainly not frightened of you. The conversations that take place in this room are confidential, as with all my patients, but if I believe that you may hurt others or yourself then I am by law required to inform somebody, so _if you _value your 'perfect reputation' I suggest you don't threaten me again." The nerve of this woman! She had no idea what he was capable of!

Bakura was both stunned and angered into silence and the rest of the session continued smoothly as he gave her the basic information she requested. The dark thoughts that crept into his head as he sat in that office would only be negated when he got out of this place and into the streets that he knew so well, tonight he would indulge himself in a little excitement.


	2. Small Talk

A/N: Here's chapter too. I really hope everyone liked chapter one. We're just warming up. it's been a while since we wrote together, but i think we're doing a great job! :) Please review everyone. reviews = motivation. and motivation = chapters. :D

Chapter 2

Seto Kaiba had considered driving far out of domino city, seeing as Mokuba was no longer waiting for him at home; however, he decided against it. The million dollar car was now sitting at a park. The sun had set over an hour ago and the canopy of the trees cast a shadow over him. The clouds were gathering and the sky was a dark purple grey. Seto had released his seatbelt and had slightly reclined. Tiny rain droplets fell onto the windows with a quiet ticking sound. With a disheartened sigh, he laid his head against the cold, dewy glass; Single strands of his chestnut hair clinging to it.

Seto's icy blue orbs lifted under hooded eyes, looking outside up to the green trees. With every breath he took, the window began to fog. He raised his hand to it, and let his imagination wander. Kaiba was never the artistic type, but he doodled from time to time, when he was stressed. His mind was running constantly, engrossed with that antagonizing woman. He couldn't forget those eyes; the light shade of hazelnut daggers that would continue to prick him time and time again. Suddenly, his phone rang, breaking the silence of haven and startling him. Seto reached for his cell phone, and looked at the screen. He groaned with growing detest.

"What the hell do you want, Bakura?" he snapped. He lifted his head and ran his fingers through his damp hair. Bakura's laughter echoed throughout the vehicle.

"_I assume the press conference didn't appeal to you?"_

"I wonder what gave that away." Kaiba sighed. "What did you call me for? I hardly want to hear your voice, right now."

"_Meet me at Time Out Café. We have some matters to discuss."_

"Am I meeting _you_ there, or are the twerps showing up too?" Seto said, flicking a water drop off his fingernail.

"_Well, I never said these matters pertained to Kaiba Corp. Meet me there, you don't have much of a choice." _Bakura chuckled, ending the conversation. Seto Closed his phone and soon the engine roared to life once again.

The double doors to Time Out Café opened with a silent swing. The building was filled with the aroma of sweet satisfaction baked slowly in a Dutch oven. Cinnamon, brown sugar, lemon glaze, and fresh blueberries filled the lungs and sent you back to the golden years of tinker toys and hopscotch. Looking around the room, Kang ChaeJi found the table she was looking for, and smiled. She walked to a small table for two, sitting next to the window. Removing her bag from her arm, she waved.

"Hey, ChaeJi! I thought you were gunna be late again." A young woman smiled in return. She got up to hug her friend. "I already ordered your usual stuff, and don't for one second think I wouldn't eat it."

"Ilana!" she giggled. "I'm not always late." ChaeJi smiled, pulling out her chair from underneath the table and taking a seat. "I'm sorry though. That stupid job of mine has me tied up, even when I'm not on call." She set her bag between herself and the wall.

"I know what you mean. I can't stand my job recently. I've started a new… I don't know… project?" The second woman said, unsure of what she had gotten herself into. "My colleagues insist that I'm the luckiest of us all, but my opinions remain totally opposite. I'd rather take a much needed vacation." Ilana sighed, resting her head in the palm of her hand. ChaeJi murmured in agreement.

"Tell me about it. Today was ridiculous. I have to admit though; I did enjoy myself, just a little bit."

A young teenaged boy came to the table, holding a tray with two coffees and a plate with two miniature chocolate cakes dusted with powdered sugar and molten chocolate sauce.

"Oh, thank you, sweet rhapsody!" ChaeJi cooed, clapping slightly. The girls took their drinks and treats while continuing to chat.

"So, Chae, tell me about your story. You had to cover that Seto Kaiba, right? What was that like?" Ilana laughed, sipping on her white chocolate mocha.

"Oh god." The second girl sighed. "I was miserable. I had to stand in the back for nearly the entire time. Then, when I finally got to the front, he was a total jerk. Of course I'm not going to ask the typical questions, so I asked how he felt. I wanted to know his own emotions, and what he thought went wrong with his brother. His answer was pathetic. I gave him the most disapproving look I possibly could and… like I said, the whole situation was miserable." She said, between stuffing cake into her mouth.

"So, did you get any good information? I know he doesn't share much. But we gotta do what we gotta do, you know?"

The café was becoming more populated as the door opened and shut repeatedly. Tiny gusts of wind entered the room and brought in the scent of rain and wet concrete. Groups of people would sit at tables and laugh boisterously while ordering and enjoying the company of others.

"Yeah. I got enough info to keep my damned job, although, honestly… I couldn't care less. I was about to just screw up on purpose but I'll be damned if the likes of Seto Kaiba is the reason I'm let go."

"As if you'll be keeping that job much longer. After I'm done with you¸ you'll never get another job in Japan again." A voice sounded, from behind her. Ilana's face had turned rouge and motioned for her friend to turn around. ChaeJi rolled her eyes, and rested her chin in her palm.

"Great, it's the imbecile. And I thought my day couldn't get any worse." ChaeJi said, sighing. She continued to sip on her Chai Tea and ignore the powerful man behind her. "Why don't you just get whatever you're here for and beat it? I was here first." She set the cup down and puffed her breath upward, blowing her bangs out of her face.

"What are you, five? This isn't about who was here first; and as far as imbeciles go, you have got to be the biggest by far, The CEO of Kaiba Corp is right behind you, threatening any future career you may have, and you still ignore me. You are the biggest fool."

ChaeJi took in a deep breath and turned around. Still seated, she looked up to him and smiled. She tilted her head slightly, softening her gaze. Kaiba stood thoroughly confused. Things had changed so quickly.

"What the hell are you smiling at me for, idiot?" he scowled.

"What, I can't smile at you?" she said, laughing.

"Stop it, it's weird." He said, backing away a little.

"Make me." She giggled. "You can't boss me around, Mr. Kaiba. I don't work for you and I certainly don't admire you. You can't _make_ me do a thing."

"You'd be surprised at what I can do." He said; his teeth clenched shut. His blue eyes couldn't find their way away from her brown ones.

"Chae, Just leave him alone. He doesn't have the emotional capacity to handle your antics." Ilana scoffed. She rustled her hair slightly and smirked at the heartless man. She was hardly afraid of him, and she enjoyed messing with people's mental state. Such a good psychiatrist, right?

"Oh well, well, well. Look who it is. Mrs. Quinn. How are you, it's been so long."

"God damnit."

Bakura walked up to the group, hands in his pockets, and smiling. His face had such a different glow to it. This was the act that he put on in public.

"Actually, it's just Ms… Ms. Quinn."

"My apologizes, _Ms._ Quinn. How are you? It's a surprise that you're here too. Such a small world."

"Tell me about it…" Seto mumbled, still enraged.

"Chae, let's leave. I suddenly lost my appetite." Ilana grabbed her bag and stood up. The chair legs scratched the floor.

"Oh, come now. There's no need to rush out of here just because we've arrived. Why not eat lunch with us?"

"I would never eat lunch with this guy." ChaeJi said, turning back around to face her friend. "We can leave if you want. I've also lost the will to eat." ChaeJi leaned over to grab her purse off the ground and pushed her chair into Seto's legs. Bakura walked up to Ilana and chuckled. He gently laid his hand on her shoulder and whispered to her.

"Don't you think it's funny that our little pairs met up here? I intend on letting you know just how powerful I am. I have more power than my friend over there. I knew you were coming here, and I even know where your best friend lives. There's not a single move you make that I won't see." He laughed, menacingly. Ilana laughed. A quaint smile spread across her face as she directed her eyes at him. He really didn't know her at all.

"Then I'll be sure to put on a show."

He was severely underestimating Ilana's tenacity and intellect. She was in no way going to be intimidated by him, unlike the rest of the world she did not see him as the perfect man he was portrayed as, she saw him like he was, an unstable arrogant criminal. She had always been good at reading people which was one of the reasons she became a psychology major.

"So this is the 'new project' you were telling me about?" ChaeJi said with a smirk on her face.

"Ah, so I've already made an impact on you Ms. Quinn? You've been talking about me." Ilana was trying as hard as she could to not slap the arrogant grin right off of Bakura's face. Something about him just rubbed her the wrong way.

"Ok you want to sit down and have lunch with us, then let's have lunch hotshot." She wasn't going to let people like Bakura or Kaiba get to her, she was going to show them that she was up to any challenge.

ChaeJi shot her a shocked look as she sat back down in her seat. They could do this; they could deal with these men for a few minutes.

Bakura's smile widened, boy did he put on a good show, he even went as far as to pull out Ilana's chair for her to sit down. Seto seemed incredibly uncomfortable with this whole idea and glared openly at Bakura, is this why he asked him to come here?

"So ladies, is this how the two of you blow off steam after a hard days work?" Maybe Bakura should quit with the black-market scheme and become an actor; he was good at pretending to be the perfect English gentlemen.

"We come here frequently, yes." ChaeJi knew to play along with this little ploy. She looked confident as she spoke.

"Hmm…I would have taken the two of you as more of the outgoing adventurous type. Maybe clubbing or something of that sort." It was actually very hard to tell if he was mocking them or not, how long had he been playing this part?

"Well it is a week day, we have work in the morning. You were spot on Mr. Bakura we do go clubbing but only when we don't have work the next day." Ilana tried not to speak through clenched teeth. How did he know so much about their personal lives? Why would he even go through the trouble of finding any of this out?

"Ah, I knew I sensed a bit of a rebel in the two of you. Maybe the four of us could go out for some drinks and go to a few clubs sometime soon." His smile widened and he looked at the girls almost expectantly. What was he playing at?

Their 'small talk' is interrupted suddenly when Kaiba slams his fist down on the table, causing the girls to jump in surprise.

"What the hell are you doing Bakura? Do you think this is funny?" Kaiba's voice was seeping with anger, but he kept it to a whisper so as not to bring attention to their table. Bakura's carefully placed smile falters for a fraction of a second.

"What ever do you mean Seto? I was just throwing an offer out on the table, inviting these lovely ladies to enjoy a night out on the town with us sometime." Something about his tone almost frightened Ilana, she knew that it wasn't an offer, it was an order.

Kaiba knew that Bakura had something planned, what he didn't know is if it would benefit him to play along or not. Like him Bakura was a businessman, one who had made some very wise decisions, decisions that had benefitted Seto in the past, so should he go along with it?

Seto swallows his pride. "Your right that does sound like…a good idea." No emotion leaked into his voice. ChaeJi was beginning to wonder if that's all he was, an emotionless shell of a man.

"It's settled then! I am so very excited to be able to spend some more time with you two lovely women, especially you Ms. Quinn, there is just something about you that I find…_intriguing_." Ilana's heart was hammering in her chest; she couldn't help but feel a little frightened by this man but she swore she would never show it.

"I'm looking forward to it." ChaeJi spoke up, surprising even herself. Maybe she could still get a story out of Kaiba, get the closed off man to lower the walls around himself, let her in.

Bakura stood and Kaiba followed suit, he placed some bills down on the table. "Thank you for chatting with is ladies, good day to both of you." Bakura smiled and bowed before turning his back and following the already retreating form of Seto Kaiba.

The two women sat in silence, letting everything that had just transpired sink in. What were they getting themselves into? What would the consequences be? The pull they felt towards these cold hearted men seemed to be inevitable, maybe fate. If this road would lead them to heaven or hellh

hell neither could tell.


End file.
